Improvement in time-indicators for letter-boxes



Y J' H. ROUSE." Tim-.e Indicator for Letter-Boxes. NO.- 205,142.. Patented J'une-1s,-.1s7s.

UNITnn STATE Oruro-n.

JOHN H. Rousn, OF SOMERVILLE, Jfissreivoit OF ONE-HALF His meer To;

AUSTIN J. COOLIDGE, OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN TIME-INDICATORS FOR LETTER-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 205,142, dated June 18, 1878; application filed April 15, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. RoUsn, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Indicators for United States Street Letter-Boxes, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to provide an indicating plate or device which may be attached to any United States mail letter-boxes located in the streets or public places for the reception of mail matter, as now in use, so as to indicate the exact time at which the mail mat-ter deposited in any certain or particular box will be collected, the time as shown upon or designated varying in each box upon the route the number of minutes necessary for the collector to pass from one to the other, thus showing to the public the desired information as to some definite time when the mail matter has been or will be collected from any particular box.

Heretofore letter-boxes placed for the reception of mail matter have all been marked alike, showing that collection would be made hourly during a portion of the day, and at longer intervals at other times.- Some others are marked showing that collections will be made at intervals of several hours. These latter ones are almost universally used, and are all marked alike, yet the exact time of collection must vary so much that the hour marked is of little or no importance as a guide, and as a great many are not marked at all the public, in many instances, have to carryl their mail matter a long distance, so as to deposit it in the post-office, that it may reach its destination at the desiredtime.

These and other objections may be fully overcome by the adoption of my invention, which consists in a slotted face plate and frame, provided with a series of adjustable figures, numbers, and letters, so connected or attached to the face-plate or frame as to be easily and quickly removed and others substituted in their places, so as to indicate the hour and minutes at which the several collections will be made from the letter-box to which the said device is attached, as hereinafter more fully described and set forth.

Fig. l. Fig. lis a view of gures, letters, or,

characters detached. Fig. 5 ils a vertical section of Fig. 1, showing the several parts in position.

A represents a metal frame, having a depressed or sunken face-plate, B, which is provided with a series of horizontal slots or opening, C, arranged parallel with each other, as shown in Fig. 2. Into these slots C are fitted the desired letters, figures, and characters, cast of metal, with flanges E at their top and bottom edges, as shown in Fig. 4. These letters, f1 gures, and characters are fitted together, so as to lill the slots C completely, and are arranged and placed therein from the back side of the face-plate B, their flanges E resting upon the same, as shown in Fig. 5..

When all the slots are iilled in with the desired letters, figures, and characters to denote the hour and minutes at which the box to which the indicator is applied will have the mail matter removed, a rubber or other suitable packing material, H, is litted into the back of the frame A, and resting upon the flan ges of the several letters and ligures placed therein, so as to yieldto Aany inequalities in the thickness of the flanges, whentheV metal back plate L is secured therein by screws passing through the same into suitable screwholes provided in the frame A, so as to draw the back plate and frame together, and thereby conne the letters and gures and devices or characters securely in place.

The indicator thus constructed is ready to be secured to the letter-box desired.

The letters, igures, and characters may be constructed or cast in relief, so as to present an even surface upon the face with the surrounding frame A, which may have at its top, in sunken letters, the words Letters Collected,77 as shown in Fig. 1. The said letters, gures, or characters may have beveled edges, inclining toward their faces, instead of the flanges, in which case the slots would be formed so as to iit the same, being a well-known method of yaccomplishing the desired result, either; characters, the exible packing H, and back; of which will serve the purpose contemplated plate L, al1 being held in position byv connby the invention, and need not be described ing-screws, as and for the purposes set forth.

in detail.

Having thus described my invention, what J' H' HOUSE' I claim is Witnesses:

" In combination with the plate A B, having SYLVENUS WALKER,

the slots C, the adjustable letters, figures, or AUSTIN J. COOLIDGE. 

